The National Park Service (NPS) is seeking applications for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) State Assistance Formula Grants to acquire and/or develop lands for public outdoor recreation purposes.
Donor Name: National Park Service
State: All States
County: All Counties
U.S. Territories: American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 07/31/2023
Size of the Grant: $15,000,000
Grant Duration: 3 years
Details:
It helps fulfill the LWCF Act’s purpose to assist in preserving, developing and assuring accessibility to present and future generations of U.S. citizens and visitors “such quality and quantity of outdoor recreation resources as may be available and are necessary and desirable for individual active participation in such recreation and to strengthen the health and vitality of the citizens of the United States.
The LWCF State and Local Assistance program is operated by the National Park Service (NPS) in partnership with designated lead agencies in each of the 50 States plus American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Each fiscal year Congress allocates money from the LWCF for this program, which is in turn allocated to the States based on a legislative formula. To be eligible for the funding, States must have a current SCORP in place that assesses demand and need for outdoor recreation resources and sets priorities for the use of LWCF funds.
The NPS requires that a notice be recorded in the project sponsor’s public property records indicating that the property described in the scope of the project agreement, including via a signed and dated project boundary map that documents the area subject to the requirement made part of that agreement, has been acquired or developed with LWCF assistance and cannot be converted to other than public outdoor recreation use without the approval of the Secretary of the Interior. In general, this requirement is applied to the assisted recreation area as a whole, unless the NPS and the State agrees to a more limited area. An assisted park may be released from the requirement only with the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, which is contingent upon the project sponsor replacing the area to be converted with a new recreation area involving land of at least equal fair market value and reasonably equivalent recreational utility and location. Project sponsors must agree to this requirement as a condition of receiving a grant. Prospective applicants should carefully consider their ability and willingness to comply with this provision of the LWCF Act before applying for a grant.
Funding Information
- Estimated Total Funding: $200,000,000
- Maximum Award: $15,000,000
- Minimum Award: $15,000
Project Period
Agreement terms for grants funded in this round will range between three and five years depending on the negotiated project statement of work, and most will have an initial term of October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2026.
Eligible Applicants
State governments
Additional Information on Eligibility
- In accordance with 54 U.S.C. § 200305(a), only the State lead agency for LWCF may submit applications in response to this announcement, whether on behalf of itself or another entity. In this context a “State” includes the 50 U.S. States, plus American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The grants may be sub-awarded to other state or territory agencies, local political subdivisions, and Indian tribes. Local political subdivisions include: county, municipality, city, town, township, parish, local public authority, school district, special district (such as a park district), intrastate district, council of governments (whether or not incorporated as a nonprofit corporation under State law), any other regional or interstate government entity, or any agency or instrumentality of a local government. Individuals, nonprofit organizations, and private organizations are generally not eligible, although exceptions may be made for nonprofit organizations that are publiclychartered under state or local law to serve a public purpose, such as managing a park or park district. In addition, a state must have a current NPS-approved SCORP to be eligible to apply for LWCF grants.
- The state lead agency is responsible for: reviewing proposals for completeness and eligibility requirements; ensuring that proposals meet and are consistent with outdoor recreation priorities outlined in the state or territory’s SCORP; prioritizing proposals according to their Open Project Selection Process, and submitting final applications to the NPS for review and award of funds. For selected projects, the NPS makes financial assistance awards to the lead agency, which will be responsible for ensuring that allocated funds are used for the purposes of and in a manner consistent with this program, including any funds awarded to eligible sub-applicants. As the primary grantee for any sub-awarded grants, the lead agency is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day implementation of the grant and the supported activities to assure the project’s compliance with the LWCF Act and Manual, other applicable Federal requirements, and that performance goals are being achieved. The NPS cannot make grants to entities other than the state lead agency; applications submitted to this funding opportunity announcement by an entity other than the state lead agency will be automatically eliminated.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
